Jasmine
by XanXenXan
Summary: Why the hell am I now Yamanaka Inori? I should have just remained dead. Why the hell am I even reincarnated here? To save the world or something? That is Naruto's job, not mine. Who even brought me here in the first place? Can I request a refund and remain dead? And God damn it monkey Hokage, WHY AM I KAKASHI'S SENSEI! THAT IS MINATO'S JOB!
1. Chapter 1- Yamanaka Inori

"_Excuse me_, Hokage-sama, but _what_ do you mean I will be taking _the Hatake brat_ as an apprentice?"

"Exactly like what I said. Kakashi-kun is a genius like you and Minato-kun, the only people suited to train him are the both of you. I don't think I need to explain what just happened to Sakumo a few days ago. I don't know if you know this, but Sakumo's death had hit Kakashi hard. I don't want to see a budding sapling wilting because Konoha isn't there to give him the support when he needs it."

"Then just hoist him off to Mina-"

The Hokage then began to list off reasons using the fingers on his hand.

"First off, you are a _Yamanaka_." The Hokage stated plainly as he then began to tick off the list of reasons he had drew up in his head. "You understand the workings of the mind way better than what Minato-kun can. Secondly, like I said, you are a genius. Only a genius can help train a genius. Thirdly, you are free right now since you are temporarily on medical rest, unlike Minato who is still busy with his own duties. Fourthly, it is high time you start getting a genin team of your own. Fifthly,-"

"Ok, ok. I get it." The Yamanaka in question waved her hands in front of her to cut off Hiruzen's speech, much to his amusement. He may be the Hokage, but sitting in the office the entire day doing paperwork can be very mind-numbing. Things like these are his daily dose of entertainment.

If only there wasn't the threat of a war brewing outside right now, it will be perfect.

"I still think Minato is better suited to train Kakashi. _I_ shouldn't be the one training Kakashi."

"And why not?" The aged Hokage asked curiously as he leaned forward as he propped his right elbow on the table and rest his chin on the back of his right hand. "Do tell."

"It's just… _It's just not right_!" Inori threw her hands up in exasperation. "And how am I supposed to take care of a – how old is he again?" Inori went through Kakashi's file before continuing her speech. "Five? I know he is a genius, but _five_?" Inori threw down the file and dragged an exasperated palm across her face.

"No offence, Hokage-sama, but taking care of a _five-year-old_? Have you seen _me_? I am a selfish person with a questionable moral compass and here you are asking me to take care of an impressionable _five-year-old_? This is a bad idea. And in case your age has caught up to you and muddled your mind, I am only fourteen this year, way too young to be training genins."

"Minato is only a year older than you. This isn't a valid reason to decline and you know it." Hiruzen retorted as he took a puff from his pipe. "And yes, I know you are a little selfish, but people are inherently selfish creatures. You are selfish, but you are fiercely loyal to your friends and family. The Will of Fire burns brightly in you no matter how you try to deny it."

"Can you please reconsider your decision and assign the little brat to Minato? Please? _Pleeeeaaassee_?" Inori said as she put her palms together in a pleading manner and whined. If he hadn't mastered the art of maintaining his poker face no matter the circumstances, Hiruzen might have burst out laughing at Yamanaka Inori's actions.

Inori _never_ whined.

"My decision is final." Hiruzen spoke in a serious tone that brook no argument, shutting Inori up immediately although it was with great reluctance. "You will take Kakashi on as your apprentice and when he is old enough to be on a genin team, you will take on another two students and lead a genin team of your own. Until then, you only have Kakashi to take care of."

"I'm so doomed. The world is doomed." Inori muttered as she buried her face in her hands. "We are so screwed."

"Don't exaggerate things, my dear grand-student." Hiruzen said lazily as he tossed Kakashi's file at Inori, who caught it on reflex. "You will be fine."

"If the world got destroyed by some crazy rabbit goddess because of this, I hold the rights to say '_I told you so'_." Inori shot back as she made to leave the room. "_Urgh_. Jiraiya-sensei will be laughing at me the moment he hears about this, I can already imagine it."

Hiruzen didn't bother to hide the smile that stretched from one ear to another as Inori made to exit the room. Inori had always been one of the funnier ones to mess with when he is bored. Her reactions are always unexpected and hilarious in the weird sort of way.

The perks of being a Hokage.

Hiruzen collected his thoughts and prepared himself to attend another meeting that will take place in about half an hour later. It is a pity that Sakumo had chosen to end his life, but there's nothing to be done about it now. They have to focus on the present.

War might be coming.

* * *

I stared down at the silver-haired brat as he stared back up at me.

"So, you are Kakashi."

"I am starting to doubt that you are my new jonin sensei if you can't even recognise your own student. The shinobi rules states that-"

"None of your sass here." I replied with a hint of annoyance to my voice and pulled at Kakashi's ear, making him squirm as a result. "If there's one thing that you are going to learn while you are my student, I _don't_ follow the rules. The rules follow _me_."

Kakashi may grow to be a Hokage-level shinobi one day, but right now he is just a five-year-old brat. A brat that the freaking monkey of a Hokage had ordered me to take care of. Canon is doomed. This world is doomed. What is the world of Naruto going to be without Kakashi being Minato's student and then he being Naruto's teacher?

I just screwed this world up. My presence alone had somehow screwed this world upside down.

Kakashi nursed his ear as I folded my arms across my chest and tapped a foot on the floor in an irregular rhythm. Well, all things considered, this isn't the worst outcome.

"You live alone?"

"Yes, sensei. _Obviously_." Kakashi deadpanned.

"Well, lead the way."

Kakashi tilted his head to a side, similar to how a dog does it. If I were a lesser woman, I may have cooed over how cute Kakashi look. Thankfully, I have strong mental defences.

"Lead the way?"

"To wherever you stay. As your sensei, I need to know what kind of living conditions you are living in. What are you waiting for? Move it."

Kakashi just turned and walked away as I followed. This brat doesn't have anyone to teach him manners. I am going to have my job cut out for me.

I should have just remained dead. Why the hell am I even reincarnated here? To save the world or something? That is Naruto's job, not mine. Who even brought me here in the first place? Can I request a refund and remain dead?

I soon reached the small apartment that Kakashi is living in. It is located in the shinobi district of Konoha. It is also where many clanless shinobis live. I know that there is a Hatake clan compound somewhere, but Kakashi had probably moved out to avoid recalling the nasty memories of the day his father committed suicide.

I threw Kakashi a few storage scrolls, and I can see him scrunching up his face in confusion despite the mask over it.

"Five minutes. Pack everything you have into these scrolls of yours. You are moving in to stay with me."

Kakashi's head shot up immediately.

"Sensei! I am not-"

"Yes, you are." I narrowed my eyes and purposely let my chakra out a little to increase the pressure around us. "A shinobi must always follow their commander's instructions. Sounds familiar to you?"

"Shinobi rule number two." Kakashi lowered his head in defeat.

I don't like doing this to Kakashi either, but the Kakashi now is a stickler for the rules. It is easier to get him to cooperate with this method for now. I will wean him off these stupid rules when we are more familiar with each other.

Kakashi's shinobi upbringing had never been more apparent when he did manage to pack all his stuffs in the storage scrolls I brought for him in less than five minutes. He stood before me in his shinobi attire at attention the moment he is done.

Did I mention that his cuteness increases with how serious he tries to be? It is like watching a child trying to act like a mature adult. Chibi Kakashi is _adorable_.

We walked out of his apartment and I found the landlady. I terminated the apartment's contract for Kakashi and paid for any extras that need to be paid due to the early termination. Kakashi didn't look happy at the arrangement, but he didn't say anything.

"I will lead the way. Try to keep up."

With that, I dashed off to the rooftops with Kakashi immediately trailing behind. I kept my pace such that I am always a fixed distance in front of him no matter how he tried to increase his speed to match mine. This is a good chance to find out more about his current physical abilities.

We soon reached the Yamanaka compound and I caught Kakashi, who nearly stumbled on his feet the moment he landed and wheezed for air. He tried to straighten himself, but nearly toppled instead.

"Not too bad for a five-year-old. Come on, I will show you around."

I grabbed the brat and threw him on my shoulder as I walked into the clan compound. The guards on duty today greeted me as I returned the greeting to them.

"Your genin student, Inori-sama?"

"Yep. Cute, ain't he? Just like a puppy."

The guards laughed at my comment as Kakashi squirmed indignantly in my arms. I ignored him as I navigated through the compound and found my house. The lights are on, my older brother must have just returned home.

"Nii-san! The brat is here!"

I called out the moment I pushed open the front door and deposit Kakashi on the floor like a sack of flour. I can imagine the scowl on his face behind his mask as he stood up on his feet and straighten his shirt.

"Oh, how do you do, Kakashi-kun?" Inoichi said as he walked out to greet us and ruffled Kakashi's hair good-naturedly. Kakashi didn't seem to like it if his glare is any indication.

Good. More things I can do to annoy him.

"Your room is that one." I said as I pointed to a room on the far side of the house. "My room is next to yours and the one upstairs belongs to Nii-san. Don't ever enter the room we blockaded on the second floor. It belongs to our parents."

Kakashi voiced out his confusion.

"Why would you blockade your parents' room?"

"Because they are no longer here." I replied simply. "They just passed away and neither Nii-san nor I have the mental strength right now to go through their belongings. We will eventually clear the room, but not now."

Kakashi looked very uncomfortable at the information I dumped onto him.

"Hey, it's alright." I said as I ruffled his hair. "I may not have planned to take care of a brat, but you are mine now. If there's anything you need, come find me. Nii-san is now the Clan Head of the Yamanaka clan, so don't worry about anyone from our clan talking shit about you if that is what you are scared of. We will set them straight for you."

"Ri-chan has a good track record for making life hard for those who were stupid enough to mess with her." Inoichi said with a grin. "You are in good hands. Come on, dinner's ready."

The three of us made our way to the living room where Inoichi had done up a simple meal to welcome Kakashi into the house.

The moment it was confirmed that Kakashi would be my apprentice, I had discussed long and hard with Inoichi on how to care for a kid with mental trauma. We both agreed that it is easier to care for him if he is staying with us. The progress will be slow, but it is easier for us to help with the problems that he is facing. There's no way I will leave a five-year-old kid to live by himself no matter how mature he is. Canon character or not, Kakashi is only a _five-year-old_. I am not leaving him to fend for himself.

I always have a soft spot for kids.

I left Kakashi to unpack his stuffs in his room as I helped Inoichi wash the dishes.

"So, thoughts about being a sensei?"

"No freaking clue on what to do." I replied honestly. "I guess I will just focus on getting us to be familiar with each other for now. I need to see for myself the extent of his problems before deciding on what to do. I will probably need to consult you on a lot of things, psychology has never been my strong suit even if it is our clan's forte."

"Feel free to do so." My brother reassured me as he dried the dishes and put them back nicely to where they should belong. "You know that I am always here for you."

"You are too nice to me, Nii-san."

"You are my little sister and we are all we have left. Who else am I going to care about if I don't care for you?"

"Your future daughter is going to be so spoiled."

"I'm not even seeing anyone yet. And who knows? I may get a son instead."

"I'm betting that it will be a girl."

"And the winner of the bet will get…?"

"A personal weapon custom made for them."

"That will cost the loser a bomb. Still, deal."

Kakashi emerged from his room just as we finished the dishes. He stood at rapt attention before talking to me as if he is giving me a sitrep.

"Sensei, I have finished unpacking my stuffs."

"Take a break for today." I said as I gave a yawn. "Enjoy while you can. I will make your training a living hell starting from tomorrow."

Kakashi stood rooted to the ground, looking as if he has no idea what to do. I gave him a curious look.

"Well, don't you have a hobby? Go do whatever you like to do in your free time."

"I usually train in my free time." Kakashi admitted. "Sensei, may I know if there are any training grounds in the compound that I am allowed to use?"

Both Inoichi and I turned to look at each other. Kakashi's problem is even bigger than we thought it would be. How can someone have _no_ hobby?

"First of all, you need to get a hobby outside of training." I said with my hands on my hips. "If you have nothing better to do in your free time other than training, then help me out in the greenhouse where our clansmen grow our poisonous plants. You can learn new knowledge while meeting new people, so it won't be a waste of your time."

The two of us dragged the unwilling Hatake kid along. Our little party drew the curious stares of our clansmen as Inoichi greeted them all with polite nods of his head. Our clan had known that I will be bringing Kakashi into the compound to live with us due to his unique circumstances. Most of our clan were sympathetic to his plight even if not all of them can agree with Sakumo's decision to put the well-being of his comrades over his mission. Thankfully, most of us were at least open-minded enough to not judge the children by the sins of their parents even if they disagreed with Sakumo's decision.

It is hard to say whether what Sakumo did was right or wrong. You can argue from the viewpoint that the good of the majority outweighs the minority, or you can also argue that we should always try to save our comrades no matter what. I don't want to judge Sakumo since I don't have all the facts regarding that botched up mission. There's no point to it anyway, he's already dead. I don't know why there are still shinobis who are still talking about this issue and trying to pin the blame on him. Don't they know the meaning of respecting the dead?

I don't know how things will turn out in the future now that I am the one saddled with Kakashi instead of Minato, but he is a kid that was entrusted to me by the Hokage himself. I am going to do the best I can in raising him.

Canon can go and screw itself since it decided to screw with me. I wonder what Kushina and Mikoto will say the moment they learned that I have a brat to take care of? Kushina will probably try to coo over him. Mikoto will probably just egg Kushina on to see Kakashi's reactions if she finds them to be hilarious.

To quote Shikaku, how troublesome.

* * *

Inori-sensei is many things.

She can be quiet and yet loud, impatient yet calm, annoying yet pleasant, she can be very loving yet extremely cold.

She is a ball of contradictions whose sole purpose is to drive him crazy and up the wall with how hard she is to understand. There's no rhyme or reason to what she did. She just does whatever she feels like.

Still, Kakashi is grateful that Inori-sensei is his sensei. She had pulled him out of his depressed funk that he had gotten himself into ever since his father committed suicide. He doesn't think that he had totally forgave his father for what he did, but he doesn't hate him now.

How could he? No matter what, he was his father. He is still angry at him, but after looking at himself, he realised that he never truly hated him. Right now, he just wants to understand. Just what drove his father to do what he did? Why did he forsake his mission for the sake of his comrades?

Inori-sensei had said that he will understand the moment he is good enough to lead a team on his own and that there's no point in fussing over it. Kakashi can only accept that explanation for now.

Four years had passed since he had become Inori-sensei's apprentice. He had soon found out not long after Inori-sensei took him in, that she is a genius like him, and that it was the main reason she was chosen by the Hokage to be his sensei.

Inori-sensei had worked him to the ground when it comes to taijutsu and genjutsu. Her ninjutsu techniques are mainly limited to her clan techniques, but she was a great help in searching for suitable ninjutsus for him to learn and explain to him the theory behind it. It is not that Inori-sensei is an incapable shinobi for not being able to use most ninjutsus. The truth is far from it, since she is one of the strongest jonins in her generation despite her young age. She is just physically incapable of using common ninjutsus that most shinobis are able to use.

Kakashi had thought that he had heard it wrongly too when Inori-sensei had explained to him that she is unable to utilise the common elemental ninjutsus.

Inori-sensei is born with a heavy imbalance of spiritual energy dominating her physical one. The imbalance is so huge that the doctors were baffled as to how she had survived as an infant since her spiritual energy is so large that it dwarfed her physical energy. From a scientific standpoint, she shouldn't be alive.

Yet, here she is.

The imbalance had created problems for her in learning the shinobi arts. Chakra is a manifestation of energy that comes from the moulding of both spiritual and physical energy. You need both to create chakra. Due to how little Inori-sensei's physical energy is as compared to her spiritual side, there is a limit to the number of jutsus she can use before she tires herself out since her physical energy always runs out prematurely. The small amount of physical energy that she has is her limiting factor in producing the amount of chakra she can realistically mold. She will likely never to be able to use the higher level jutsus which are more chakra intensive, although she did manage to learn how to use the Kage Bunshin. According to sensei, that jutsu is just too useful to not learn, even if two clones is all she can manage.

The problem that her energy imbalance brought about is not just limited to her jutsu repertoire. It affected her usage of her clan's techniques too.

Inori-sensei is incapable of using the more delicate Yamanka clan techniques. Using even the basic Mind Body Switch Technique, a basic clan technique that every Yamanaka shinobi will need to know, is impossible for her.

Maybe that is not the right way to phrase it. She is capable in using it, but it will not yield the same results as compared to her clansmen.

The amount of spiritual energy that Inori-sensei possess is so huge that it makes it impossible for her to properly mind switch with her target. She had told him that she had gotten the technique down on her first try when she was about six years old, but instead of switching minds with the lab rat, she obliterated the rat's mind with the force equivalent to a sledgehammer. She is just unable to control the huge amount of spiritual energy and use it with the precision of a scalpel that is needed for the Mind Body Switch Technique. Her control over her spiritual energy had grown good enough to perform most of her clan's techniques but using the more delicate ones are definitely still impossible for her unless she wants to render her target a braindead one.

However, that is what makes her a scary opponent to face as well.

Inori-sensei can destroy her opponents with sheer spiritual force no matter how strong they are. Not in the literal sense, since her opponents will technically still be alive, but their mind will be dead. Inori-sensei can completely destroy her opponents' consciousness simply by blasting her spiritual energy at her target. It is a technique that is only made possible due to the amount of spiritual energy Inori-sensei has. The force from the spiritual blast rips her opponents' consciousness away from them, leaving their body as a mere husk of meat without a mind. It is a technique unique to her even among her clansmen since there is no one in Konoha, and possibly in the entire Elemental Nations, with spiritual energy as large as her.

It doesn't matter how strong you are since there's no known way to defend yourself against her technique. Not even the Yamanakas had devised a possible solution. Chakra absorption techniques won't work too since chakra is a mixture of both physical and spiritual energy. Inori-sensei's signature technique only requires pure spiritual energy in huge amount, physical energy isn't required. Unless her opponents are somehow able to absorb or block only spiritual energy, Inori-sensei's techniques is nigh undefendable against anyone on the receiving end of it.

That doesn't mean she is invincible. There are many ways to beat her, like taking her down even before she has the chance to use that unique jutsu. Namikaze Minato had demonstrated that the moment he finally mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique. However, not many can do that since Inori-sensei is by no means weak even without her unique jutsu to aid her. There are many things she can do with her clan techniques alone and that is not considering her repertoire of genjutsus. She is good at taijutsu too even if she is no master at it.

If it wasn't for the fact that her body's condition made it impossible for her to use most elemental ninjutsus, Inori-sensei would have been an extremely well-rounded shinobi.

Four years had passed in the blink of an eye. Inori-sensei had said that the both of them will be getting '_another two snot-nosed brats'_ tomorrow and then form a genin team together. She wasn't extremely keen on the idea too, but the Hokage had all but demanded it from her.

The threat of a war looming on the horizon is too large for anyone to ignore. Every shinobi village had tried to avoid another war so soon after the Second Shinobi World War but this time, it seems that a third war is inevitable. Konoha will need to produce shinobis as fast as possible. Academy students are being pushed out of the academy rapidly to meet Konoha's growing demand for more soldiers.

Inori-sensei had also increased his training to insane levels in an effort to keep him alive in the event war finally breaks out. Kakashi never complained once. He knew that she is doing this for his sake, because he is one of the few people that she truly cares about.

She doesn't want him to die.

The arrival of an imminent war aside, Kakashi wish she had told him who exactly will be joining them. She is keeping the identity of their two new teammates a secret from him for shit and giggles. He knows for a fact that the people joining will be close to his age group, so that means that they will be people that he had probably seen before in his short time at the academy before he graduated.

As long as the two people does not consist of that one annoying Uchiha and the person with that obnoxious green jumpsuit complete with thick eyebrows, he is fine with whoever got themselves stuck with him and Inori-sensei.

.

.

.

Crap, he just jinxed it, didn't he? The opposite of what he wished for always happens the moment he made such declarations in his head. Inori-sensei had said that it is Murphy's law at work, whoever Murphy is. What kind of people will name their child with the weird name of _Murphy_ anyway? It is too damn hard to pronounce.

Whatever. He should probably just turn in early today and enjoy the remnants of peace he can before it all shatters tomorrow. Knowing his luck, he will probably get one of the two annoying people that is up there on the top of his blacklist. Which one of them is the lesser of the two evils?

_Probably_ Obito. Kakashi would probably go jump off a building if he got Guy as a teammate. He cannot imagine facing the green jumpsuit and those thick wriggling eyebrows every single day they have to meet up as a team.

Kakashi shuddered at the thought. Yup, at least Obito's fashion choice is a lot more bearable than Guy's. He can deal with that.

He still cannot comprehend the thought of him sharing Inori-sensei with anyone else, but he guess he can try. Inori-sensei had always been his sensei. Not anyone else's, but his alone. That will change tomorrow and he doesn't like it one single bit.

Inori-sensei had always teased him for being a possessive little brat.

He admits he is a little possessive, but she is one of the few individuals that showed him genuine care when people were more concerned about smearing the Hatake name due to the actions of his father. She was the one that showed him that there is more to being a shinobi than a mindless tool. She made him human again.

It was because of what she did for him that he respects her so much despite her annoying and frustrating personality.

He will murder anyone that dares harm her. _Painfully_.

That is a promise.


	2. Chapter 2- Team Inori

"So, yeah. I am your new jonin sensei, Yamanaka Inori. I don't really care if you like me or not. If you do, good for all of us. If you don't, then too bad. Suck it up. Such is life."

Obito's jaws dropped at the introduction. **_This_** is his jonin sensei?!

"My name is Nohara Rin. It's nice to meet you, Inori sensei!"

Said Yamanaka put on a faint smile on her face at Rin's words.

"I think I like you already."

"My name is Uchiha Obito!" Obito proclaimed out loud as he adjusted the goggles he wore on his head. "And my dream is to one day be Hokage!"

"Pfft."

Obito scowled when the Bakashi openly scoffed at his words.

"You got a _problem_, Bakashi?"

"Nope." Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly, but the tone of his voice and his body language told Obito all that he needs to know.

"You picking a fight, Bakashi? I'm not losing to you!"

"Shut up, idiot."

The next thing the both of them knew, they were both lying sprawled on the ground and trying to nurse the pain on the top of their heads.

"Stop bickering." Inori sensei said with a scowl on her face. "Kakashi, we talked about this. Obito, if you want to be Hokage, then learn how to take things in stride."

Both boys glared at each other, silently pushing the blame of their current predicament to the other party.

_"Am. I. **Clear**?"_

The sudden release of killing intent got both boys choking for air. As soon as it came, it vanished.

_"Well?"_

"Y-Yes, sensei."

"H-Hai."

_Inori sensei's **SCARY**!_

"Good." Inori drawled as Rin visibly held in the urge to giggle from where she is standing behind the jonin. The sound of jingling bells caught their attention, and the three genins looked up to see their new sensei holding up two bells in her right hand.

"Damn it, _this_ is supposed to be the goody-two-shoes' job." Obito can hear his new sensei muttering to herself as she let out a soft and frustrated sigh before turning to face them again. "This is really a damn drag, so listen up. I'm **_not_** going to repeat this twice. If you three want to remain as genins, then you jolly well fight with the intent to kill. I don't care if the academy told you that you had graduated. If I say you are demoted, then you are demoted. Yes, Kakashi, you too. If you fail this as well, then you are no longer my apprentice. If anyone of you fail this, I _will_ send you back to the academy."

Obito can see Kakashi's face paled with immediate effect.

"S-Sensei?"

"I'm _serious_. Have I ever joked about this kind of things with you?"

Kakashi's head hung low.

"… No."

"Good. Now listen carefully, or I will make sure the three of you remain as eternal academy students."

* * *

_WHAM!_

Obito lost count on the number of times Inori sensei's fist found its mark on his face as he crashed back onto the ground, _again_.

"Fifteen minutes left, kiddos. Fifteen minutes left until I become a free man again~"

Damn it, Inori sensei is so damn strong. To top it off, she had been using _only_ taijutsu thus far.

Obito quickly got up and run through hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireba-"

The fireball never appeared, for that idiot Bakashi was sent flying and rammed into him just at that moment, cutting the jutsu off.

"DAMN IT BAKASHI! I'M TRYING TO GET THE BELLS HERE!"

"PISS OFF, DOBE! STOP GETTING IN MY WAY!"

"G-Guys…" Obito paused when he heard Rin trying to break them up. "Maybe… we should try and work together instead?"

**"NO WAY!"** Obito exclaimed out, only to turn back to Kakashi when he realised that the infuriating masked idiot shouted the exact same thing as him.

**"STOP COPYING ME!" **Obito shouted as he pointed an accusing finger at Kakashi, who so happened to do the exact same thing as he did.

A lazy and obnoxious yawn could be heard, and the three genins turned around to see Inori leaning against a nearby tree, looking bored out of her mind.

"Are the three of you quite done? I can end this test early, you know? I won't mind that."

Obito gritted his teeth. He is someone who will be _Hokage_, no way is he getting bested here!

If only he has his sharingan…

Obito took another look at the alarm clock Inori sensei had put on a nearby wooden stump. There is only about slightly more than ten minutes left.

Maybe Rin is right. At this rate, all three of them will fail this test.

"You know what? _Fine_. We will work together." Obito said with extreme reluctance as he hissed at the Bakashi. "_Just this once_. We will figure out how to split the bells later if we get them."

Kakashi has an equally ugly scowl on his face, but he didn't protest as his hand went back to the handle of his chakra sabre.

"Don't slow me down, dobe."

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Obito finally unleashed the most powerful jutsu he currently knows. He has no delusions that it will hit his sensei, but the only purpose the fireball has is to be a smokescreen and hide Rin and Bakashi from view.

Kakashi is on Inori at the next instant, using the distraction from the fireball to close the gap and quickly tried to slash at their sensei with his blade. Rin is close by, providing support with her ranged weapons and substituting herself in to help Kakashi whenever he got overwhelmed.

A punch from Rin managed to clip Inori on her shoulder, and Obito used this chance to enter with a low sweep. It didn't work as he intended, as Inori had simply grabbed his leg and fling him away right towards Rin.

The two of them tumbled on the ground but quickly got back up. Time's really running out, they don't have time to waste. He was _so close_ too! His fingers had definitely touched the bells back there!

Rin sported a smirk as her hands reached for the ground and pulled at ninja wires that Obito had missed. The next thing he knew, wires emerged from the ground in an attempt to snare their sensei. It worked. Inori sensei had herself all tied up.

"Good job, Rin-chan! BAKASHI!"

"I KNOW!"

Kakashi went to grab the bells, only to have another surprise when a poof of smoke later, what they thought to be Inori sensei turned out to be a simple wooden log.

_The Substitution Jutsu!_

"Not bad."

There was a tug on his leg, and Obito's worldview was turned upside down, quite literally, when a piece of rope appeared from nowhere and caught his right foot. The violent shift in perspective made his head swim momentarily and he found himself dangling in mid-air with Rin at his side, in the same plight he found himself in.

_Since when did their sensei set up a rope trap for them?!_

When Obito managed to finally bring his vision back to focus, he found Kakashi groaning on the ground in pain, unable to get up from where he is.

"Time's up." Their sensei yawned when the alarm clock chose this exact moment to ring out loud, signifying their failure. She tossed two kunais at the ropes bounding onto him and Rin, dropping them back onto the ground.

"O-Ow… Rin-chan, you okay?"

"Yeah…" Rin winced when she moved her left arm. Their sensei didn't really care much about pulling her punches. Everyone is hurting all over.

The three of them slowly made their way back to Inori where she is waiting for them, an air of defeat hanging hovering around the three genins like miserable rainclouds.

"So, what did you three learn today?"

"We are too weak."

"Not a bad observation, but the wrong answer. Next."

"You are too strong."

Inori facepalmed at Obito's words.

"Wrong. Next."

"If only we decided to join forces earlier, maybe the outcome would have been different."

"_Annnnnd_ the first prize goes to the only person on the team with the most _common sense_." Inori said with a roll of her eyes. She then turned to the two boys and flicked her fingers on their foreheads even before they have a chance to react. Even with their forehead protector over it, the two boys still found themselves toppled backwards and landed on their backside from the unexpected strength.

"The correct answer is _teamwork_, obviously. If you two hormonal boys had agreed to even work with each other and put aside your differences earlier like what Rin had tried to tell you two the entire time, then you would not have such a hard time against me. I thought you would be better than this, Kakashi, seeing that you had been with me the longest. I'm disappointed."

Kakashi guiltily shifted his gaze away at Inori's words.

"In any case, this test was meant to be impossible in the first place. It was to let you three realise the importance of teamwork. Rin obviously passed, since she demonstrated her understanding of teamwork. As for you two…"

Obito gulped. Is he going to fail here?

Inori held up a thick rope she dug out from somewhere and held it in front of the two of them.

"If you two want another chance to be genins, then you two are going to be stuck with each other until you both can work out your differences. I have _zero_ tolerance for whatever bullshit you two have with each other. I'm not a saint like Minato, or a patient individual like my brother. If you cannot work things out between yourselves, then take off your forehead protector. You two don't deserve to be genins with that kind of selfish mindset."

Obito cannot help but feel his hopes rising. So there's another chance to be genin?

"So? You two in or not?"

* * *

"Damn it, Bakashi! That's the wrong leg!"

"You are supposed to use the _other_ leg, dobe! Stop getting in my way!"

As it turns out, Inori sensei's idea of '_working things out'_ is to tie both Obito's right arm and leg with Kakashi's left. The both of them have to travel from one end of the village to the other without using the roads. Meaning, the only way is to hop through the rooftops. Not only that, once they have done that, the two of them will then have to climb the Hokage Monument all the way to the top, where their sensei and Rin are up there having a nice picnic with the scenic view of Konohagakure as their background.

And Obito is _hungry_, damn it. He's hungry, angry, tired, frustrated, and a whole slew of negative emotions and thoughts in his mind but is stuck with the Bakashi until they complete their task. They _have_ to complete their task if they want another chance to be genin.

Obito wanted to say screw it, just untie the ropes and only tie it back again right before they reached where Rin and Inori sensei is, but the Bakashi had warned him that their sensei _will **know**_ if they cheated. She always does.

Thus, their current predicament.

The two of them had barely travelled halfway through the village, and already they are exhausted, sitting on a random rooftop with their backs leaning against a wall and panting for breath. Moving around together in this manner is a lot harder than they could possibly imagined.

"MY YOUTHFUL RIVAL! HOW NICE IT IS TO SEE YOU!"

"Oh God, _no_." Kakashi mourned pitifully and for once, Obito can sympathise with this irritating fellow. Of all times for Guy to appear, it must be now.

"MY HIP AND COOL RIVAL! Oh, Obito? What is it that you two are doing?" Guy asked curiously the moment he climbed up the building to reach them.

"Our new sensei put us in _this_, that's what. We have to reach the Hokage monument like _this_ and then climb all the way to the top, and she forbid us from using the roads. Unless we can _fly_, the only way we can get there is by hopping from one roof to the other."

Obito cannot help but let out a deflated sigh. At this rate, they will never get there.

"YOSH! Leave this to me! As Kakashi's eternal rival, I will not let him be defeated by such a menial task!"

Obito's head perked up.

"You got an idea?"

"A most youthful idea indeed!"

"_Obito_." Kakashi said in a warning tone, the _please-you-don't-want-to-do-this _tone. "No."

"You really want to hop _all the way_ there, _like **this**_?" Obito gestured to themselves with his hand. "We will never reach there at this rate!"

Kakashi groaned and leaned his head back in defeat, and Obito knew that he had won this argument. He turned back to Guy.

"So, Kakashi's hip and cool eternal rival with the youthful flames burning so bright and strong." Obito said with more sass than necessary. "What youthful plan do you have?"

Guy's grin got impossibly wider, and Obito swore that his teeth actually _sparkled_ against the sunlight shining down on them as Guy did his signature good guy pose.

"Count on me!"

* * *

**"I HATE YOU, DOBE!"**

"**_HOW_** WOULD I KNOW THIS IS GUY'S IDEA OF HELPING US?!"

"SHUT- **GUY!** DON'T RUN US INTO-"

Kakashi's words were cut off prematurely as the two of them were knocked into a lamp post with a loud metallic 'gong'.

"I'M SORRY, MY YOUTHFUL RIVAL! I WILL TRY TO NOT KNOCK THE BOTH OF YOU INTO ANYTHING ELSE!"

"**_This_**, is all _your_ fault." Kakashi glared at Obito as he nursed his bruised head with a hand, who glared back at him in return.

"Well, at least we made a lot more progress, didn't we? And if all goes well, we won't need to even climb the damn Hokage monument."

The two of them looked down where the both of them are in the air, tied to a huge green kite hovering in the sky as the ever-energetic Guy pulled them along with a long string as he ran on the ground. Technically, they are still adhering to Inori sensei's instructions while completing the task which they are given.

A crazy plan that can only come from someone as insane as Guy. But if it works, Obito isn't going to complain. He's too tired to even complain.

"GUY! WATCH-"

A crash and a bang later, the two boys tied to the kite emerged with an assortment of clothes hanging off them. Guy had just run them through a clothesline full of laundry. There were shouts from behind them. Someone isn't too happy at having their laundry ruined.

"SORRY!"

"Damn it. We are so going to get chewed by sensei for this."

Despite the range of accidents the two boys had been through during this short moment of flight, Guy had held his promise, bringing them near to the Hokage monument.

"I'M LETTING GO NOW, MY HIP AND COOL RIVAL! MAY THE FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHT AND STRONG WITHIN YOU AND OBITO!"

Guy let go of the string he held in his hand, letting the kite soar into the sky as the winds brought Obito and Kakashi higher and higher into the air.

"THANKS, GUY!" Obito hollered out before he couldn't be heard. Guy is still waving happily at the both of them on the ground as he gradually becomes smaller and smaller until he is nothing but a green speck.

The moment the kite gained enough altitude and is hovering above the Hokage monument, the two boys immediately cut the rope tying them to the huge kite with a kunai and dropped themselves onto the top of the Hokage monument. The both of them lie in an exhausted heap on the ground, watching the clouds float by lazily in the blue sky and not wanting to get up at all.

_Finally, it's **over**._

"Interesting way of getting up here." Their view of the clear blue sky was obstructed when Inori sensei came to view, an amused look on her face and her hands on her hips. "Had fun with your _hip and cool_ rival, Kakashi? Have you found your flames of youth on the beach with the setting sun burning bright and strong?"

Kakashi visibly shuddered, and Obito decided that he really don't want to know, much less understand what Inori sensei just asked.

"Obito! Kakashi!" Rin ran up to them, a look of relief clear in her eyes as she began to untie the both of them from their bind.

"Did we pass, sensei?" Kakashi asked as the two of them finally sat up.

"Yeah, you two did." Inori sensei said with a resigned sigh as Obito whooped in joy. "Bad news for me and good news for all of you. Welcome to Team Inori, annoying brats."

"I'M GOING TO BE **_HOKAGE_**!"

"Shut up, dobe."

"Kakashi! Be nice!"

"Oh, you really want to be Hokage?" Inori asked in faux niceness and Obito suddenly found his body tensed at the question. "In that case, I guess I have to work you _extremely_ hard then. Can't have the future Hokage slacking off now."

Kakashi gave Obito a look, the kind of look that one will give the other only when you feel sorry for them.

"You can do this, Obito!" Rin cheered him on, oblivious to the danger in their sensei's voice, or maybe she just chose to not notice it.

Obito gulped and let out an awkward laugh.

Life just got a lot harder for him, didn't it?


	3. Chapter 3- Minato and Kushina

Inori sensei is both strict and caring. Rin learnt that not long after she became her student.

"I'm sowwy, sensei! I pwomise I von't ve late again!"

"I _told_ you." Inori sensei said with a furious look on her face. "I don't care how many cats you want to save, how many grannies you want to help, or how many times you want to get lost on the road of life. If you are told to report at a specific time, you report **_right on time_**. **_Did I or did I not_** tell you that before?"

_"You did! You did!"_

Rin watched on and she cringed at how their sensei punished Obito as she forced Obito into a fierce taijutsu spar. Obito's face is already beaten black and blue in several places.

"You are a _shinobi_ first and foremost. I admire your helpful personality, but punctuality is equally important. If you **_know_** you are likely to be _late_, then leave house an hour early. If an hour is _not enough_, then leave two hours early. If not, camp at the meeting point **_the entire night_** if you have to. **_Am I clear?_**"

**"YES SENSEI!"**

Inori sensei finally let Obito off the hook and shoved him back at Rin.

"Heal him."

Rin can only comply as she practiced her medical ninjutsu on Obito, healing the bruises on his face.

"Thanks, Rin-chan." Obito mumbled as Inori sensei left to check on Kakashi, who is training on his own at one corner of the training field they are at.

"Just don't make sensei angry again. This is the fifteenth time already."

"I know." Obito sighed. "But there's this old lady that-"

"Obito." Rin cut him off. "I'm not saying what you did is wrong, and neither did sensei said that what you did was wrong. But you do realise that sometimes, certain things take priority, right?"

Obito can only look away sheepishly.

"Done?" Inori sensei made her presence known again as her eyes glanced at Obito. Their sensei may be harsh on them most of the time, especially during trainings, but Rin knows that her sensei is the type to show her care for them through tough love. Even now, their sensei is silently checking if the bruises on Obito's face is being healed correctly.

"Obito, continue to work on the Fire Release exercises I taught you. I will check on you later. Rin, time for me to check on your homework."

The two of them broke up to do as what they are told to do. Rin stood opposite her sensei in a taijutsu stance as she activated her Chakra Scalpel technique, the technique that her sensei taught her to better defend herself. A technique that only needs a single touch to deal heavy damage to your foes.

According to Inori sensei, she faced similar problems as Rin did when she was younger. Inori sensei said that she was small in size when she first graduated from the academy. No matter how much force she puts behind her strikes, it just didn't hurt as much as what others could do. Her spiritual energy imbalance was also a huge problem and she always ran out of stamina quickly due to her low reserves of physical energy and by extension, her chakra reserve. It made most ninjutsu and genjutsu techniques non-viable options for her as well when she was at that age. It was why she focused heavily on taijutsu in her younger years and decided to learn the Chakra Scalpel technique, so that her strikes hurt and so that she can end her battles as quickly as possible before running out of stamina. It was her main fighting style until she grew stronger and had more options to use in combat.

Using the Chakra Scalpel effectively in combat is not easy as it sounds. It requires great precision for it to even be effective. Most med nins are unable to maintain the needed precision in combat due to the amount of concentration needed to sustain the technique.

Still, Inori sensei taught her this technique, saying that if she wants to live through the coming war, then she will need to master its usage somehow. Rin has no clan techniques and no bloodline to fall back on. Among the team, she is the one with the least resources available to learn how to get stronger as a shinobi. It is obvious that Inori sensei wants to equip her with as many techniques as she possibly can before the next war breaks out.

_War._

In the time since they became an official team, Rin quickly learnt that Inori sensei had never been one to sugar-coat things. Their Hokage had tried his best to delay another war from happening for about four years now, but as it seems, it is almost certain that another one will break out at any time. It may be tomorrow, or it may be a few more years later, but it is what everybody is talking about in the village. Everybody is sure that another war will happen, it is just a matter of when. The signs are all there.

It is why Inori sensei is working them so hard, because she doesn't wish for anything to happen to them. When war inevitably breaks out, everyone will be sent out to fight regardless if you are a child or an adult. As long as you wear that forehead protector, you are a shinobi, and you would be expected to fight.

Rin's spar with Inori sensei didn't last long. It only took less than a minute before her concentration wavered and her Chakra Scalpels lost the required sharpness needed for it to be effectively used in combat.

"You lasted an extra five seconds this time round. Stand up. We'll try again."

"Yes, sensei." Rin gritted out as she pulled herself together and stood up again, reactivating the Chakra Scalpel technique. She tried her best to ease her breathing and to not let the pain affect her. Inori sensei had never been a fan of pulling her punches, saying that if they want to be shinobis, then they should not be babied because their enemies definitely would not baby them.

And Rin tried again, and again, and _again_, as she did so many times ever since Inori became their jonin sensei.

"Good job, Rin. Take a break." Inori sensei said as she caught her and lay her down to rest under the shade of a nearby tree when it is finally over. Rin is just too tired to even move at this point.

"I'll go and check on Obito now. You run through on what you had done right and wrong in our spars earlier, and review on what you could do better."

Inori sensei left without another word. Rin can tell that the possibility of war is stressing their sensei out as well. Kakashi had been with her the longest and he had told them once in secret that their sensei is usually much more carefree than what she is now. She's strict, but usually not to this extent.

"**I DID IT!** _DID YOU SEE IT_, SENSEI? I DID IT!"

Rin let out a small laugh when Obito's excited shout could be heard throughout the training field. Inori sensei may be strict, but she is an effective teacher. Despite the countless scolding and beatings Obito received from their sensei, he is always excited to be able to learn something new from her, because Inori sensei actually believed in him, that he will be Hokage one day. Obito had never improved so drastically before until Inori sensei came into the picture. She knows exactly what and how to teach Obito, unlike the teachers in the academy. She didn't view Obito as the dead last as so many did in the academy.

Another loud boom caught Rin's attention. This time, a section of trees in the training ground caught fire.

Uh oh. Not again.

"**_OBITO_**! _How many times_ have I **_TOLD_** you about setting trees on fire, _huh_?! You **_want_** me to kill you so badly?!"

"I'M SORRY!"

Rin had no idea what happened, but the fire extinguished after a few seconds. Inori sensei appeared in a shunshin, pulling on Obito's ear as the Uchiha screamed his apologies out loud.

"I'm sorry, sensei! It was an accident, I swear!"

"I can make your _death_ an accident as well. I can swear on that."

"_HIEEEK_! I'M SORRY!"

"_Please_ do that, sensei." Kakashi said in a deadpan and Rin turned around at the sound of his voice. When did he get to her back unnoticed?

"Keep **_quiet_**, Bakashi!"

"You finally managed to perfect the Transparent Escape Technique?" Inori sensei asked with a raised eyebrow at the masked genius, her fingers still pulling at Obito's ear.

"I did."

"Good, now teach them how to do it while I go pick up a D Rank mission for you brats to do."

Rin can spot Kakashi's eye twitching in annoyance as he looked at Obito, who is now busy trying to soothe his aching ear. Inori sensei had disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"**Great**. Now sensei is _definitely_ going to pick the demon cat mission. All because _someone_ just _have_ to light the trees on fire when sensei explicitly said _no_ to that."

Obito scowled.

"I told you, it was an _accident_!"

"Boys." Rin reminded them sternly. "Remember the last time the both of you fought again?"

The two unagreeable boys immediately clamped their mouths shut. Inori sensei's punishments are nothing to joke about.

"Come here." Kakashi gestured for the two of them to gather around. "Might as well teach you the jutsu sensei asked me to teach you two while we are at it. This jutsu was invented by Jiraiya-sama himself."

"Wait, REALLY?!" Obito trembled in excitement at the thought of learning a jutsu invented by one of the Legendary Sannins.

"Yes, dobe." Kakashi replied in a flat voice. "Inori sensei was Jiraiya-sama's student, like how we are her students right now. He was sensei's jonin sensei in her genin days."

"WHAT?!"

"Can you lower your volume?" Kakashi said irritably as he rubbed his ears. "Do you still want to learn this jutsu or not?"

"Yes! YES!"

* * *

"I. HATE. **CATS**!"

"You were the one saving them from trees all the time."

The three of them dragged their tired selves through the streets as their sensei openly laughed at their plight. Every single one of them suffered scratches somewhere on their bodies. The demon cat is just too slippery and fast.

_How can a normal cat be so difficult to capture?!_

"Sensei. It's _not_ funny."

"Oh, it's _plenty_ funny to me." Their sensei said with a large grin as they walked through the village and she handed them their individual pay checks they earned from this mission.

"Come on, let's go get dinner."

The four of them soon decided on Ichiraku and made their way there. The moment they entered the ramen stand, a mop of fiery red immediately greeted their sensei.

"Ri-chan!"

"Kushina?" Inori sensei said out loud before giving a sweeping look at their surroundings. "Oh, Minato. You too?"

"Hello, Inori." A gentle looking man with bright yellow hair and blue azure eyes greeted their sensei as he paused in eating his meal. His eyes wandered and locked at the three of them.

"Your genins? Hello there, Kakashi-kun."

"Minato-san." Kakashi greeted the jonin back politely.

"Yeah, meet my brats. This is masked brat, goggle brat, and purple brat." Inori pointed to each of them in turn before jabbing a thumb at the man. "Brats, meet Minato and Kushina. Minato was my genin teammate."

"Sensei! We are not brats!"

"You _are_ a brat and will _always_ be a brat."

"_Hmm_, our dear Ri-chan is finally an official jonin sensei with her own genin team…" Kushina mused as she adopted a thinking pose. "**_Who_** would have thought, ttebane?"

"Shut up, Kushina."

"Do you know that your sensei is actually a big softie?" Kushina said in faux whisper as she pulled the three of them closer to her, ignoring Inori sensei's scowl. "She acts all big and scary but she is just a giant ball of fluff on the inside."

_"Kushina."_ Inori growled in a warning tone.

"Softie? _Sensei_?" Obito asked in disbelief. "No way."

"Wait till you get to know her better." Minato laughed out loud good naturedly. "You guys are lucky to have her as your sensei. You are in good hands."

"I still can't believe _you_ didn't get yourself saddled with a genin team." Inori sensei said in irritation as she looked in Minato's direction. "_You_ are supposed to be the one with brats, not me."

"The unexpected always happens, ne? On a side note, how's your seal coming along?"

"It should be finished soon." Inori sensei replied as she took a seat beside Minato and one of her hands idly reach out to touch the centre of her forehead, where her forehead protector is also worn.

"With its completion, I can finally go on higher rank missions and not get stuck in the village all the time. It's been _four_ freaking years. About damn time."

"The fact that you are able to get this far is impressive. No one but Tsunade-san had achieved that particular feat." Minato comforted his only genin teammate left. Inori trying to master that seal was why she was given a long medical rest, confined to low ranking missions and to the village. Her strength would be cut drastically during this period and it is simply too dangerous for her to go anywhere further from the village, especially in turbulent times like now.

However, once the seal is completed, Inori would gain a whole new level of strength. Her stamina and chakra problem would no longer be such a glaring problem anymore.

"Did Jiraiya sensei say when he would be coming back?" Inori asked as she ordered a bowl of ramen, leaving her genins to their fates as Kushina sunk her claws into them.

"Last I heard from the toads, he should be back soon."

Inori gave a silent nod as she adjusted her long platinum blonde hair, which she tied into a long ponytail. She wore the standard Konoha jonin outfit that most jonins wore, only that her weapons pouch is specially modified for her own personal use to fit her trench knives, her weapon of choice she had learnt from their Sarutobi teammate when she was younger. He is no longer around now, but he was a good friend to them when he was alive.

The both of them missed him.

Inori is unable to use most elemental ninjutsus due to her abnormally small chakra reserve, and although her genjutsu is good, it is not good enough for her to rely on it exclusively in combat. Hence, she trained herself extensively in taijutsu. She heeded their deceased teammate's advice and picked trench knives as her weapons of choice when she was younger to increase her lethality in close combat, although she hadn't been using them as regularly since she became jonin. She also eagerly devoured whatever less chakra intensive ninjutsus she can learn that is B Rank or below. For what she lacks in power in the ninjutsu department thanks to her chakra reserve, she made up for it in versatility by learning as much lower rank ninjutsus as she could. Her expertise in her clan's techniques also made up for this flaw of hers, although it is not something she rely on heavily due to how hard it can be for her to use it alone without backup. It is hard for her clan's technique to hit its target without someone pinning it down for her. It would simply be a waste of her energy if she missed her targets.

"Ri-chan! Can I adopt your brats? They are so _cute_ ttebane!"

"Be my guest."

"**_Sensei_**! Don't leave us alone with this red menace!"

"What did you just say, Obito? _Hmm_?" Kushina asked in a deceptively sweet smile as her long scarlet hair started to float menacingly behind her in nine separate sections.

"I-I-I mean, red _beauty_! Haha…"

"Got such a sweet mouth on you, eh?"

"… I'm still going to die either way, right?"

"Now's the time for you to put the Transparent Escape Technique into practice." Inori helpfully reminded her trouble prone Uchiha genin as she slurped on her noodles.

"Oh yeah!" Obito's face lighted up as he put his hands in a seal.

"See ya later!"

"He managed to learn that so soon after graduation?" Minato asked in visible surprise as Kushina yelled out loud for Obito to get back here. He had given Kushina the slip by using Jiraiya sensei's self-invented technique

"He only just learnt that **_today_**. Obito's a fast learner if you know how to teach him. He's not the type to learn by listening to long lectures, he learns with his body." Inori added as Kakashi and Rin took this chance to sit down on the stools and finally order their meal. "If only his improvement doesn't come with a whole lot of collateral damage. For a kid, his chakra reserve is incredibly big."

"You are training him to be a ninjutsu specialist."

"That's the _only_ thing the brat is interested in." Inori said with a snort. "All he thinks about is being Hokage and learning 'cool' ninjutsus. In that case, why not?"

"The same dream as I have, I see."

"Yeah, good luck to him, since he has **_you_** as his competitor."

"Minato-san, you want to be Hokage?"

"Yes, Rin-chan. I do." Minato replied with a gentle smile. "It's been my dream since I joined the academy."

"If anyone can be Hokage, it's you or goggles brat."

"What's so special about that dobe?"

"It takes a lot to keep believing in yourself when everybody else says you cannot do it, that you are a failure and doomed to fail. What Obito has is a special kind of strength, one that never gives up." Inori replied to Kakashi's question as she sipped on some of the broth. "In a way, Obito and I are similar. Everybody told me that I could not be a shinobi too when I first started out. Look at where I am now."

"Ri-chan! Your genin is not cute at all ttebane!" Kushina said in a whine as she returned to eating her ramen after failing to find Obito.

"Obito? Oh, he _is_ cute. Just bribe him with cool ninjutsus and he will come straight to you with those big hopeful eyes of his, almost like a puppy wagging his tail for treats."

Both Kakashi and Rin nearly choked on their ramen at these words. What an apt description of Obito.

Inori soon finished her ramen and ordered another one for takeout.

"Sensei?"

"Knowing that idiot, he probably forgot to buy dinner. I'm delivering this to Obito before going home. Don't stay up too late, you two." Inori said as she ruffled their hair before taking her leave.

"Told you she's a big softie." Kushina said smugly. "Can't tell with that scary expression on her face all the time, right?"

"How's sensei like when she's young?" Rin asked curiously. From the corner of her vision, she can see Kakashi perking up curiously as well.

"Oh, Ri-chan used to have this permanent scowl on her face _all the time_. She would be a lot prettier if she smiled more." Kushina gestured animatedly as her hands waved in all sorts of direction. "She takes no shit from anyone though, even when she was still in the academy. That's what I like about her."

"That's putting it lightly." Minato added as he finished the last of his ramen. "Everyone who tried to bully her in the academy ended up fearing her. In the academy, she was ranked as the scariest kunoichi in our year."

"What did sensei do?"

"Why, my dear Rin-chan, she beat her bullies black and blue until they are on the brink of death, of course!" Kushina said happily as she rubbed her palms together. "And if once isn't enough, there's always a second or third time!"

"Why does this sound so familiar?" Kakashi stated with an annoyed look on his face. "She beat us black and blue all the time."

"Trust me, Kakashi-kun." Minato gave his own words of wisdom as he put down his chopsticks. "Compared to what she did to her bullies, she is already a lot gentler with the three of you. Make no mistake, she does care for you three in her own way despite how strict she can be."

Rin blinked as she absorbed this information about her sensei. There are a lot of things that her new sensei didn't share about herself, so everything new she learnt about Inori sensei is refreshing. At least, Rin now knows with certainty that her new sensei do care a lot about them in her own way, even if she's always so strict with them.

And that thought alone warms her heart. She can see why Kakashi is so attached to Inori sensei. It's hard not to when she actually really cares for you.

She wouldn't trade her Inori sensei for anyone else in the world.


	4. Chapter 4- Jiraiya

"Ri-chan! Did you miss me? How about a hug with your dear sensei?"

"Sensei." Inori greeted curtly with a wry smile like how she usually did when she was still a genin under his care. "How many bathhouses have you peeped on while you are gone?"

"Hah! I'm glad you asked, Ri-chan!" Jiraiya declared flamboyantly as he took on a ridiculous pose that got everyone around him to either sigh or to facepalm.

"Why, I'M PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT I HAVE PEEPED ON FIFTY-"

"**_Jiraiya_**." Orochimaru growled out. "We don't want to know."

"But Ri-chan asked!" Jiraiya whined as he slung an arm around his female student as she drank her sake. He, his snake summoner teammate, Inori, and Minato are lounging about in the Snake Sannin's home, sipping on some fine sake that Jiraiya had brought along just for this joyous occasion.

Jiraiya doesn't have many people left that he is close to, and it's been a long time since they are all together.

"Inori! You are not supposed to drink!"

"I'm _eighteen_, Minato."

"Your student has students of her own now." Orochimaru stated matter-of-factly as he polished his sword. "Thought you would like to know."

"**BWAHAHAHA**!" Jiraiya guffawed, ignoring Inori's murderous looks. "Really? _Ri-chan_? Who would have thought? BWAHAHAHA!"

Inori scowled as she shot Minato a death glare, which he also wisely ignored.

"**_Minato's_** supposed to be the one saddled with brats. Hokage-sama used the chance when I'm on medical rest to dump Kakashi onto me. I couldn't escape my fate of becoming a jonin sensei after that."

"Sakumo's son?"

"Yes, that one."

"By the way, how's your seal coming along?" Jiraiya asked in concern as he sat down beside his student. "Hime passed me some advice regarding the seal before I got back here if you need it."

"The seal should be completed within a week." Inori said as she relaxed in her seat and gulped the alcoholic beverage down. "Just in time to bring my brats out for their first C Rank mission before war erupts. It will be safer if they can experience their first C Rank mission before the war happens."

"War. It's all what shinobis know." Orochimaru said in distaste. "Sometimes, we don't even know what we fight for."

"The world will change one day, we just have to wait for it until then." Inori sighed before she spotted a book lying at a corner and picked it up.

"Sensei? You wrote this?"

"_Thaaaaat's_ RIGHT!" Jiraiya exclaimed as he struck a pose, his index fingers on both hands pointing at his female student in a _You-got-it!_ manner. "My very first book, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi!"

"A boring book."

"No one asked for _your_ opinion, Orochimaru!"

"Can we read it?" Minato asked in genuine curiosity.

"Of course! I even have copies for the two of you!"

"Nagato?" Inori asked when she happened to flip to the last page, where Jiraiya had written where and who he had gotten the inspiration to his story from.

"Another one of my students. Other than you guys, I have another three of them in Ame."

"Eh? You have other students, sensei?" Minato asked in surprise.

"Must be the three orphans that found us after our fight with Hanzo." Orochimaru added as he put down his polished sword to sip on his own cup of sake. "They are still alive?"

"Of course they are! I taught them!" Jiraiya argued before shifting himself closer to Inori.

"So, Ri-chan, care to review my latest work?" Jiraiya suggested shrewdly as he slipped another book into her hands.

"Icha-Icha? Sure."

**_"INORI!"_** Minato exclaimed in a horrified manner. "Don't encourage sensei further!"

"If you take out all the smut, it's actually a pretty good book. You should try reading it sometime, Minato."

The four of them continue to banter in this manner, and Jiraiya cannot help but drink a few more cups of sake than usual. It's been some time since he last saw his students and friend. Tsunade had left Konoha due to how her psyche had been damaged irreparably ever since Dan's death in the Second War, but he shouldn't let that take out the fun they are currently experiencing.

He can still remember when the Yamanaka kunoichi was assigned to him. The pretty little girl who was a little too short and with a permanent scowl etched on her face. The kunoichi who was near hopeless in ninjutsu back then because of her small chakra reserve. People kept on saying that she would never make it as a shinobi because of that, and yet she went on to become the kunoichi of the year in the academy and got herself assigned to his team. Now, she is one of the strongest and deadliest shinobis in her generation, right up there with Minato.

She is a gutsy little kunoichi alright.

He can still remember the moment the girl learnt about Tsunade's horrid gambling luck and her Strength of a Hundred Seal shortly after she became genin. The crafty girl had immediately gone to find the Slug Princess and subsequently went on a gambling spree with Tsunade. The bets started innocently small at first, just simple sums of money. But Inori knew of Tsunade's tendency to keep trying her luck in recouping her losses whenever she is gambling, so she kept Tsunade hooked onto their gambling showdown by starting it small and then like the sly Yamanaka she is, the girl went on to slowly increase the stakes as the gambling went on.

Jiraiya couldn't remember what Inori offered, but the stakes got so big that Tsunade ended up betting on her Strength of a Hundred Seal.

Needless to say, Inori won, because Tsunade's luck is just that shitty.

Still, Jiraiya have to admit that was a smart move on Inori's part. Having something like that seal on her will help her overcome her stamina and chakra problem, allowing her to fight and use elemental ninjutsus properly like any other shinobi. Whereas Tsunade used that seal to fuel her usage of the Creation Rebirth technique, Inori is planning to use it as an extra tank of chakra for her to tap into to overcome her weakness for having a smaller chakra reserve. With that seal, her most glaring weakness will be no more.

However, because of the delicate nature of building up chakra required for this technique, the user is substantially drained of normal reserves of chakra during this period of time, making it dangerous for one to be involved in battles. Also, due to how small Inori's chakra reserve was back then as a genin, Tsunade had suggested to only put the seal on her head only when she got older so that the process would be safer for her.

Jiraiya was merely surprised that Tsunade didn't shirked off her bet like what she usually did.

Inori started accumulating the chakra to imprint the seal on her when she was fourteen, right after she made jonin four years ago. It took her so long to accumulate the required chakra since this technique draws on chakra on her already small chakra reserve. Hiruzen-sensei had swiftly used this chance to hoist Kakashi onto Inori because Inori cannot leave the village until she completed the Strength of a Hundred Seal, so she might as well babysit the Hatake genius.

After all, it takes a genius to properly tutor another genius.

Inori _is_ a genius. She graduated from the academy together with Minato at age nine when Minato graduated at age ten. Just half a month later, she successfully reverse-engineered the secret behind **_Tsunade's_** super strength _on her own_, pushing her taijutsu prowess up even further. Even before that, Inori's taijutsu is nothing to scoff at thanks to her expertise in using the Chakra Scalpels that she learnt from some of her clansmen who are med nins. She knew that while her genjutsu is good, it alone won't be enough to help her win her battles, so she concentrated on improving her strengths in taijutsu and covering her weakness in ninjutsu as much as possible.

Inori's chakra control is so scarily good that even Tsunade was impressed. However, Inori has no interest in becoming a medic like Tsunade, saying that she does not want to specialise in this field because learning about medical theory is too numbingly boring.

As her sensei, Jiraiya knew of her weakness in the chakra department and advised her to cover her weakness through learning many useful but lower level ninjutsu techniques that don't require much chakra. He imparted to her many of his hair-based ninjutsus, which is a great help to Inori. Inori does have her clan techniques, but without anyone to help her pin her targets down, she would just be futilely trying to blast her spiritual energy without hitting anything. The only time she could use her unique brand of Yamanaka clan jutsu alone is when she is in close proximity to her target, so that the chances of her missing her mark is considerably lower.

Even when Inori cannot claim to be a master in close combat, she is still an expert in it. She had never stopped trying to improve her taijutsu even further. When Keiza suggested to her picking up learning how to use trench knives as it complements her then newly acquired super strength, she had took his advice and learnt from him how to properly wield such an unconventional weapon that is only sometimes seen being used by members of the Sarutobi clan.

Sarutobi Keiza. It still hurts a little thinking about him.

One of the biggest regrets Jiraiya had was him unable to save his student. Jiraiya knows that Inori still felt that she was the cause of his death, that Keiza died because of her. Till date, she still carries the trench knives that Keiza once wielded. It is her own way of remembering him.

Keiza never told anyone, and certainly not Inori, but Jiraiya knew that Keiza only had eyes for Inori. Like how he only had eyes for Tsunade. It takes one to know one.

Inori never knew about Keiza's feelings for her and Keiza probably wanted to keep it that way. It would also be too cruel to let her know about Keiza's feelings for her since he is already dead. People should not live in the past. Just look at what that did to Tsunade.

Keiza's death had affected Inori. Ever since Keiza's death, Inori had never left any of her enemies alive. Every enemy shinobi she met, she made absolutely sure that they stay dead to prevent another tragedy from happening.

In all honesty, there could be worse coping mechanisms that Inori could have adopted. Jiraiya is glad that she is considerably well-adjusted to shinobi life despite being a genius and what she had experienced. When geniuses fall, they tend to fall harder than most.

What made Inori interesting was that while she may not be physically able to use the higher ranking and more chakra intensive elemental ninjutsu techniques, she still mastered her chakra natures by the time she reached chunin.

And _that_, was the hallmark of Inori's genius. Mastering one's chakra nature takes **_decades_**. Inori mastered _all **three**_ of her chakra natures by age twelve despite not being physically able to use many elemental techniques. Even Minato didn't manage to master his chakra nature, and Minato is also a certified genius.

Ninjutsu is the one area that Inori was supposedly doomed to fail and unable to use, yet her greatest achievement lies in ninjutsu. Taijutsu is the area where she had the most practise and put in the most work, yet it was never her greatest strength. Inori herself is one big contradiction.

"Sensei, would you be staying?"

Jiraiya's thoughts were brought back to the present at Inori's question.

"Eh, I'm afraid not. With the trouble brewing outside, sensei needs me to be out there collecting vital information in preparation for the coming war. I won't be back for a long time after this."

"Pass my regards to Tsunade if you see her, alright?"

"Got it, Ri-chan." Jiraiya said as he ruffled his student's hair. He doesn't have children of his own and he probably will never have children, but Inori and Minato are the closest he has that he views as his own kids. Same goes for the three children he spent three years with in Ame.

"So, about my latest instalment…"

"The plot's good, but the smut here is a little excessive." Jiraiya leaned in further and diligently took down whatever Inori had suggested. She always has constructive comments for his novel.

"See this part? You could instead-"

_"Inori!"_

"Hush, Minato. I don't believe that you don't have your own collection of Icha-Icha. Just wait till Kushina finds your hidden stash."

Minato flushed a furious red.

_"I don't-"_

"Like master, like student." Orochimaru said lazily as he continues to sip on his sake as he lay on the couch. Yeah, it surprised Jiraiya too, that his antisocial teammate actually took a liking to Inori. The two of them actually _clicked_. Orochimaru even personally taught Inori kenjutsu on his own volition at one point.

Maybe it's because both Orochimaru and Inori are geniuses. They are so smart to the point that they felt like other normal people couldn't understand them. They felt like outsiders, and thus when they found each other, the two geniuses simply gravitate towards each other. Their thought processes are very similar. Jiraiya is sure that if Inori hadn't been assigned to him, Orochimaru would have took Inori as his own personal apprentice the moment he learnt of her existence.

He still thinks that it is a good thing Orochimaru and Inori met each other. At least his friend now has another attachment and bond to this village.

"Something on your mind?" Jiraiya asked after Inori is done reviewing his latest Icha-Icha novel. She is obviously acting out of character today.

"Stressed out, I guess." She sighed as she downed another huge gulp of sake. Her face is already a little flushed from all the alcohol she consumed, and she is obviously already a little tipsy. "I don't know _how_ you managed being a sensei. Sure, you had it easy since all three of us were geniuses, but **_still_**. I had no idea how _you_ handled children. **_I_** sure as hell don't know how to handle children and I'm not even sure if what I am currently doing is the right way to be teaching them. One Kakashi was stressful enough, now I have **_three_**."

"If anyone can do it, it's you. Give yourself some credit, Ri-chan." Jiraiya said encouragingly.

That's what he sincerely felt. Inori, for all of her faults and supposed self-declared selfishness, is also one of the most selfless person Jiraiya ever knew. For those she cares about, she fights tooth and nail for them.

He knows that Inori will be a good sensei, and an even better one than he will ever be.

"If you want, I can help too when I'm free." Minato offered.

"I'm holding you up to that." Inori pointed a finger at the only other blonde in the room. "Don't you _dare_ bail out on me."

"If you ever decide to dispose one or two to lessen your workload, I can help hide the bodies. Manda will be pleased to have new food to snack on."

"OROCHIMARU!"

"What?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at Jiraiya. "It's the most efficient way."

"Nah, thanks for the offer, Orochimaru, but those brats grow on you after a while. Like some sort of fungus."

"You mean parasites."

Inori snorted.

"Yeah, _parasites_."


End file.
